


Fighting The Good Fight

by Momokai



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Lord of the Rings - Fandom
Genre: Crossover, Pairings if any pending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-14 18:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/840025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Momokai/pseuds/Momokai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the fighting stopped and Gaia finally at peace, Cloud had nothing to really stick around for. So, someone, or several someone's, decide to give him something to do. He would never have guessed he'd be sent on a quest to destroy a piece of tacky jewellery...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Concent

. . .

It began with the forging of the Great Rings. 

Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings. 

Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. 

And nine, nine Rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else, desire power. For within these Rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived... for another Ring was made. 

In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, The Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice and will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all... 

One by one, the Free Lands of Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some, who resisted... 

A Last Alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. 

Victory was near. 

But the power of the Ring... 

Could not be undone... 

It was in this moment...When all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the King, took up his father's sword... 

Sauron, the enemy of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated...

. . .  
. . .

Cloud sighed from his position astride his beloved Fenrir, goggles around his neck and a hand raised to shield his enhanced eyes from the bright rays of the sun. He looked over the landscape of the Wastes surrounding Edge, then lowered his hand and simply sat there. Nothing out of the ordinary, as it had been for some time now. It had been two years since Sephiroth's return and defeat, two years of recovering from Geostigma's hold and two years of peace.

Everyone was happy now, the fighting had stopped, finally, and the people could live on the rest of their lives in peace. Even his friend's, the members of the Hero Group Avalanche had moved on from their days of fighting and struggling with life. Cid had gone back to Rocket Town to marry Shera, Yuffie had returned to Wutai to finish her tutoring to one day take her fathers place on the throne. Vincent had disappeared, most likely to visit Lucrecia's final resting place one last time before washing his hands of his sins with the help of Tifa, who had shocked everyone by announcing her affections for the ex-Turk. Speaking of the Turk's, Rufus and his lot had removed themselves from the picture, somehow thinking that 'out of sight, out of mind' gave them credit to root around The Forgotten City. Marlene and Denzel were attending school with the funds raised over the years of fighting and traveling and Nanaki had left to once more take guard over Cosmos Canyon. Barret had gone back to Mideel to keep the Mines running and often dropped by to visit Marlene. Over all, the peace was giving everyone the chance to move on and be happy with their lives.

Everyone except him...

He'd tried to move on, tried to find something to do to keep himself busy as he lived his life of peace and quiet. It hadn't worked, not for him, he couldn't do it, and it had been that that had made him realize that he would never be able to live in peace, because it was what he was now. He was a fighter through and through, made into a fighting machine by Hojo all those years ago. He couldn't sit still like the others, he couldn't live in peace and forget everything that had happened to him over the years. Sure, he could let most of it go and move past it, but the peace would kill him. Ironic, that living in peace would be more likely to kill him then living in war. At least he could fight in a war, he could protect himself and others, fight for his beliefs. But peace, all he could do with peace was sit and watch the clock tick by, run deliveries, visit friends, watch the clock, run deliveries, fight the occasional monster...

He hated the fact that he wasn't fine with that...

Nothing could challenge him these days, he had surpassed even Sephiroth, add that to the bomb shell that had been dropped on his head by Vincent and he was nearly wishing he'd died fighting Sephiroth. The bomb shell being in the form of the cold hard truth about what Hojo had really done to him. He was like Vincent it seemed, he would never age, never grow old...he was immortal and he hated it. When he had first found out, well, he'd been a mess, he tried not to remember that day, because frankly, it had been one of the most pathetic moments in his life. The very thought of living forever terrified him and filled his heart with anguish. He would never be able to see his mother again, never be able to see Aerith or Zack, he would never be able to pass on. Ok, maybe he could if someone or something came along and killed him, but that would be a chance of one and a billion. He was too strong to be defeated these days, and there weren't any crazy scientists around to make an Anti-Cloud weapon yet, and even if there was something that could pose a threat to his life, he wouldn't go down without a fight, it was drilled into him now, his instincts had been wired to keep him alive, he wouldn't be able to sit still and take a death blow even if he wanted to, and he was willing to bet he couldn't kill himself either...

Maybe, after everyone left him for the Lifestream he could take a leaf out of Vincent's book and sleep the years away. Could he even sleep that long? Well, considering he slept a whole week away without realizing it, and worrying Tifa in the process, he decided that yes he more then likely could.

He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his blond spikes, scowling into the horizon. His life had always sucked, but this by far took the cake. Now it didn't just suck, it blew. He snorted and reached behind himself, retrieving his new PHS from his pocket. New because he'd gone and thrown the other one into his bedroom wall in a fit of rage at something he had trouble remembering. It mustn't have been important then...probably something trivial, like I don't know, finding out you were immortal?

Cloud rolled his eyes at himself as he checked his voice messages. Nothing, which was a shock in and of itself. He shook his head with a small chuckle and pocketed the small black device. With a quick and well practiced movement his goggles were covering his glowing eyes and Fenrir roared to life under him. "I suppose I should drop by Tifa's and let her know I'm back in town." He thought to himself as he gunned the black bikes engine, then turned and sped off in the direction of Edge and the Seventh Heaven.

He couldn't stop the small smile from lighting up his features as the wind whipped past his ears, pulling at his hair and clothes. How he had easily gotten motion sickness as a kid he would never understand, because now, well, now he spent more time riding Fenrir then he did on his own two legs. Just the feeling of moving at such high speeds exhilarated him to no end, it kept him 'alive' in a sense. Fighting did the same thing though, but there was nothing left to truly fight.

As he rode with the wind howling past his ears and the roar of Fenrir's engine rumbling between his legs something changed in the scenery. He frowned slightly but paid it no mind, eyes focused on the road but still alert for any Monster attacks.

"Cloud."

Cloud yelped as Fenrir veered hard to his right, and he yanked on the steering to right himself. Feminine giggling drifted along the wind, sounding a lot like a certain flower girl he knew.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Cloud swallowed hard as he tried to calm his racing heart, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him as he replied.

"Sure you didn't." He said without malice. "What is it you need Aerith?" He asked as he shifted slightly atop Fenrir.

"Well...It's not me who needs something Cloud...Really, it's you who needs something." Cloud frowned at the odd response.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked in confusion. Another tinkling giggle on the wind, somehow heard over the roaring of Fenrir's engine, and then he wasn't on Fenrir anymore, but standing in a familiar white field full of beautiful flowers in full bloom. He twitched slightly. "You know, this is kind of dangerous, considering I'm speeding." he said, aware of the presence behind him. A simple crash wouldn't kill him for sure, but it would still hurt...a lot. Aerith sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I had to, she asked me to..." She said lightly. Cloud frowned and turned his head slightly, glancing over his shoulder, catching sight of a large pink ribbon and brunette curls.

"She? Aerith, what's going on?" He asked seriously. The Cetra sighed again.

"We know how this peace is affecting you Cloud, we know that it is what you fought so hard for, but we also know that it isn't doing you any good." She made it sound like a bad thing, but Cloud ignored that.

"So what if it's not doing 'me' any good, the Planet is safe again and recovering slowly but steadily and everyone's happy." 

"But your not." Was her retort. Cloud sighed.

"I don't matter." He said quietly. And he really didn't. The Planet would heal itself in time, and the people were already on the road to a full recovery, who was he to deny them that? Just because he couldn't find it in himself to live in peaceful times?

"That's not true and you know it. You matter a lot to Gaia, Cloud, you saved her from death, you gave her children a future, and she loves your for that. So much that she's asked for help in saving you." Aerith said. Cloud frowned deeply, but didn't try to turn around anymore.

"Saving me?" Now he was even more confused, and slightly worried. What was Gaia planning?He felt Aerith nod behind him, and supported her weight easily as she leaned against his back. Her ribbon tickling the back of his neck.

"Uh-huh, she wants to help you Cloud, and she's found that help, all we need is your consent." Cloud found it slightly amusing that The Planet would ask for his consent to anything. It was a Planet, something told him that it would have gone on straight ahead with or without his consent. The flowers at his feet swayed in a light breeze, as if confirming his bemused thoughts.

"Consent to what exactly?" he asked, deciding to humor both himself and the Planet. Aerith shifted against his back.

"To send you somewhere. Somewhere you can find happiness, somewhere that also needs all the help it can get." She replied. Cloud knew that if he had been given a real choice he would have declined. He couldn't just leave his friends without word. But then again, he did that all the time didn't he? Yes he did, so how would this be any different?

"Would I ever get to come back?" he asked. Aerith sighed.

"I don't know Cloud..." The swordsman sighed and folded his arms.

"So...where did you want to send me exactly?" he asked in curiosity, already resigned to the fact he was going whether he liked it or not, he could almost hear the Planet laughing at him.

"Another world, completely different to this one. A world called Arda." She said. Cloud sighed and stared down at the flowers at his feet, dimly wandering how he hadn't crashed yet. He thought about it for a moment, thought about the Planet's plans for him. What did he have here? He had his friends, but they had moved on without him, moved on to their own lives. They didn't need him to save them anymore...he wasn't needed to fight off any Sephiroth's or WEAPONS, no longer needed to go on Planet saving adventures. It was peaceful too, and he, a living weapon was useless in peace, he couldn't exist where there was no conflict, it ate away at him so much that he feared he might just snap. This, Arda place, Aerith said it needed all the help that it could get. Was it at war perhaps? He sighed. His mind was already made up for him, so why was he even thinking over it? Maybe because he wanted to go knowing that he wouldn't be guilt ridden for leaving his friends behind. But he would leave them behind anyway, or they would leave him really, when they grew old and died... "I've learned some things about this new world, and there are races there that share your immortality, so you wouldn't be so alone, you know?" Aerith suddenly pipped up. Cloud's gaze wondered up and over the field of flowers.

"I guess, I'm not really needed here anymore...and I suppose if this, Arda needs some help, I guess I could give it a hand...or sword, either way." He straightened up, smirking when Aerith yelped and wobbled at his sudden movement. "Alright, sign me up, if it gets too unbearable I suppose I could spend the long years searching for a way back." He said. Aerith righted herself and nodded.

"Alright, if that's what you want." She said. "They'll be ok, you know?" She suddenly said. Cloud sighed and nodded, not turning to look at her.

"I know, you'll watch out for them wont you?" he asked.

"Of course I will, you don't even have to ask." There was a long silence, then finally Aerith sighed and he felt her hands rest on either of his shoulders. "The Planet wants to send you now, so close your eyes and breathe deep." Cloud blinked at the sudden departure time, but complied, dimly wandering if he'd get to take Fenrir. Aerith giggled behind him. "Remember Cloud, the Planet loves you, your friends love you, I love you, and as it seems so do the Valar." Cloud felt an odd drowsiness settle over hm, like someone had cast Sleep on him. "Oh, and Cloud? Be careful, ok? There are evil things on Arda...Take care." And with those last words echoing in his mind, he drifted off into the world of sleep...

. . .  
. . .

In the Wastes surrounding Edge there was flash of green so bright it lit up the sky all around Gaia, and Cloud's beloved Fenrir rolled to a stop on the road, riderless and with the sword racks empty...

. . .


	2. Elf?

Cloud groaned from his position on the soft wet ground. Why did he feel like he'd gone a round with the Midgar Zolom, weaponless, armor-less and drunk? He groaned again and lifted his arm to rub his head. "What, and how much did I drink last night?" He thought as he heaved himself into a sitting position and opened his eyes for the first time since waking up. He blinked as his enhanced sight cleared and cut through the darkness he found himself in. He frowned at his boots, then looked up and around. "What the..." he trailed off as he was met with a forest. The trees were everywhere, naturally and he was surrounded by all sorts of vegetation. The grass he sat upon was wet with dew, and so was he for that matter, how long had he been out for? He rubbed his face, wiping off the crystal like droplets of moisture that had gathered on his eye lashes and cheeks. He returned his gaze to his surroundings, glowing eyes easily cutting through the nighttime gloom, the forest floor littered with flickering patches of moonlight. He frowned as he tried to remember how he had gotten all the way out here in this odd forest, which was unlike anything he had ever seen. He'd been in a few forests on Gaia, but this one was different...He paused. On Gaia... He gasped as it all came rushing back to him and he stumbled to his feet, dew sliding down his neck and arms as he span around, taking in the sight of the alien forest.

He wasn't on Gaia anymore, the Planet and Aerith had sent him to another world, Arda? Was this Arda?

He looked around in dazed fascination, sharp ears picking up the hooting of owls and the light pitter patter of small night animals. His keen nose picked up the scent of fresh dew, wild grass, pine and...blood? He frowned and looked around, well aware of the bareness of his back. He sniffed the air and cringed. Blood, definitely blood, but there was something else in the air, something foul, it reminded him eerily of Jenova, the scent so alike the black ooz her limbs secreted. Evil. He shook his head of the unwanted memories that arose at his thoughts and looked around the forest floor for his swords. Did the Planet even send his weapons with him? A glint of silver caught his attention in the darkness, and he hurried in it's direction, stumbling out into a small clearing where sure enough, seven separate swords, all varying in size and shape jutted out of the ground, point down in the soft grass and soil as dew slid down their silver blades, the moonlight causing the swords to glitter. He sighed in relief and quickly moved to collect his blades, combining them all to create First Tsurugi, which he then sheathed in the harness strapped to his back. With the familiar weight at his back, the bareness he had felt disappeared and he felt more at ease knowing he had his trusted weapon to defend himself with.

He jumped and span on his heel as a sharp and piercing scream ripped through the air, the volume and pitch causing him to cry out in pain and grab his head as his keen ears rang with the scream. The air seemed to chill and go silent after the inhuman screech and Cloud rubbed his ears as he gazed around quickly for the source. It had sounded a little ways off, but too close for comfort on his part. He didn't want to meet whatever had made that horrid sound that still had his ears ringing in pain. He shook his head to rid his ears of the ringing and turned, taking off in the opposite direction the scream had come from. He moved easily through the undergrowth of the forest floor, moving like a wraith through the trees, soundless boots effortlessly navigating over rocks, logs and fallen branches. His sword glinted slightly at his back as the polished silver reflected the moonlight. Another shrieking scream ripped through the air and Cloud winced, but didn't otherwise react as he picked up his pace, appearing as a black blur as he streaked through the trees.

A moment later however he slid to a stop as an orange glow drifted between the trees ahead. He inhaled deeply and cringed. Where ever he was, he was heading for the source of the blood and evil smell. He eyed the orange glow, identifying it to be a small fire that moved around through the undergrowth. His eyes narrowed and he slunk forward through the darkness, until he was forced to press himself flat against a tree in the darkness, hand straying towards his swords hilt as a figure shuffled past him, as if searching for something. The figure was obviously male, and armed to the teeth it seemed. Cloud drew Tsurugi and silently crept up behind the kneeling man. He had no intention of harming him, but he was in a strange world with no idea of who was friend or foe, it never hurt to be cautious. Silently, he stood right behind the man, who was about to cut a small weed looking plant and slid Tsurugi right next to his neck, resting the flat side of the blade lightly on his shoulder. The man stiffened visibly and Cloud titled the blade slightly.

"Who are you?" He asked. The man was silent, and Cloud noticed him trying to glance at him over his shoulder, but his sword prevented the movement. Cloud nudged the mans shoulder with his sword. "Well?" The man was still tense.

"I am a mere Ranger." was the reply. Cloud was only dimly surprised that they spoke the same language, as he'd half expected to be met with gibberish. "And who, may I ask are you?" The 'Ranger' asked in return. Cloud tilted his head, eyeing the man.

"A mere swordsman, lost in the woods." he replied. The Ranger finally managed to glance over his shoulder and his eyes widened almost comically at the sight of his massive sword. Weathered grey, almost blue eyes followed the impressive sword up and once again widened at the sight of him. The man exhaled in surprise.

"An elf?" He breathed. Cloud's enhanced hearing easily picked up the words and frowned in confusion. What the hell was an elf? The man took a closer look at him. "No..." he said after a moment. "Not an elf, who are you?" He asked in a gruff, but oddly welcoming voice. Cloud, after a moment, removed Tsurugi from the Ranger's shoulder, but held it aloft at his side just in case.

"As I said, I'm a swordsman lost in the woods. I was hoping you would be able to tell me where I am and direct me to the closest town." He replied. The Ranger, clad in odd dark brown cloth with a bow on his back, sword at his hip and shaggy shoulder length brown, nearly black hair stared at him, suspicion alight in his grey eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, as if sizing the other up, until finally the brunette shook his head and quickly retrieved the weed at his feet before turning on his heel and hurrying back in the direction he had come. Cloud, figuring he was supposed to follow did just that, moving silently after the man, who led him to a small clearing circled by three statues of...what exactly were they? They were large, and ugly, reminding him of the Monster's back on Gaia. He removed his gaze from the hulking slabs of stone and lowered them to the Ranger, who was crouched beside the downed figure of a child. No... He frowned and moved slightly to get a better look at the small figure. He blinked in astonishment. No, not a child...a man for sure...a young one, and a small one, with large feet, how...odd? Upon closer inspection the small man appeared to be deathly ill, gasping for breath and growing paler by the second. His eyes widened at the unmistakable stench of evil surrounding the small wound on the beings shoulder, which was tainted black and oozing a horrid smelling puss even as the Ranger stuffed the ground up weed into it and quickly wrapped it with ripped cloth. He sheathed Tsurugi and stepped to the side, kneeling on the small beings other side. "What happened to him? The wound...it reeks of evil." He said as he looked up to the Ranger, who had just finished wrapping the cloth around the still oozing wound. The Ranger looked up at him, grey meeting glowing blue. After a moment, he finally answered.

"We were attacked by Sauron's forces, the Nazgul. He has been stabbed with a Morgul Blade, the poison will continue to eat away at his soul until he descends into darkness and becomes a wraith... I must get him to Rivendell, the elves will be able to help him." He said quickly as he gently lifted the small being into his arms. Cloud frowned, none of that...made any sense to him. Sure, he got that the small man had been stabbed with a poison blade and this Ranger had friends in this Rivendell place that could cure him. Wait...Cure! He felt in his pockets, then cursed. He didn't have any of his Materia! Any further cursing was halted as the Ranger suddenly froze, a slender silver blade resting at the side of his neck, much in the same way Cloud's had.

"What's this? A Ranger, caught off his guard?" The words were spoken by one of the most beautiful women Cloud had ever seen, long dark tresses, warm, but sharp blue eyes glancing for a moment at him, then back to the Ranger. Then she removed her sword from the mans neck and quickly moved to stand in front of him, moving with a grace that suggested she was something more then human.

She bent over slightly, running a small flawless hand over the pale and gasping mans cheek. "Frodo, I am Arwen. Telin le thaed." she said, her voice gentle but swimming with subtle power. "Lasto beth nin, tolo dan na, ngalad." The language was unfamiliar to Cloud as he watched on in silence, but even to him it sounded natural, flowing and beautiful. Cloud heard the tell tail signs of others approaching and glanced over his shoulder as three more small men came out of the brush and stared at him with dropped jaws, then glanced between him and the inhumaly beautiful woman before him.

"Who are they?" One of them asked. Another gulped as he eyed the blond warrior, then the woman, mouth still wide open.

"They must be elves..."

Cloud rolled his eyes at that word again. What was an elf anyway? And why did people keep mistaking him for one? Cloud turned back to the woman as she spoke again, brushing long fingers through the small mans hair as she gazed up at the Ranger, who still held the ill, practically dying small man.

"He's fading. He's not going to last. We must get him to my father." she said hurriedly. The Ranger nodded and Cloud watched on as he turned and approached a large four legged beast Cloud had never seen before. "I've been looking for you for two days." She continued. Cloud heard one of the small men step forward.

"Where are you taking him?"

The woman turned to the Ranger as she leaned on the large beast that Cloud was still trying to figure out. It had a saddle, so was it meant to be ridden? It didn't look even remotely close to a Chocobo, was it a mammal, it had to be. "There are five wraiths behind you. Where the other four are, I do not know." Cloud frowned. Wraith's? The screaming things maybe? Cloud shamelessly listened in as the two ahead of him leaned in and spoke in hushed whispers that he easily heard, but failed to understand, as it was in that same flowing, lilting language the woman had spoken before. Cloud glanced down at his side as the smallest of the oddly small men shuffled up to stand beside him.

"What are they saying?" the small man asked him as he turned shy and awed eyes up to him. Cloud blinked, the shrugged, folding his arms.

"Your guess is as good as mine." He muttered. The small man blinked at him.

"But, aren't you an elf?" He asked incredulously. Cloud sighed.

"I don't even know what an elf is, so no." He replied. The small being gaped at him, then oddly enough leaned back to look at his ears, then sputtered.

"Your not an elf!" He squawked. Cloud refrained from rolling his eyes. "But, but, you look just like one!" The small being was soon joined by another, the two looked related, both blond.

"How would you know what an elf looked like Pippin? You've never seen one, none of us have!" The other being, 'Pippin' sputtered, then pointed at Cloud, who gave into the urge and rolled his eyes, before returning them to the two normal sized but still odd people in front of him just in time to see the woman mount the large best with the ill being, 'Frodo' he guessed held tightly to her chest.

"I do not fear them." she said, and Cloud frowned. The Ranger spoke.

"Be iest lin. Ride hard, don't look back!" the woman nodded, and Cloud saw the determination shining in her eyes. This seemed important to this whole group, who was this little Frodo?

"Noro lim, Asfoloth! Noro lim!" She said as she reared the large beast back and turned to run off into the forest at a speed that rivaled the standard Chocobo.

"What are you doin'? Those Wraith's are still out there!" Called the larger of the small people. Cloud frowned as his keen sight watched the woman ride away into the forest, something was tugging at him. It wanted him to follow, but he had no idea why. He glanced at the Ranger, who watched the woman ride off with sad, but hope filled eyes. He sighed, then nodded to himself.

"I'll go after her." he said as he stepped forward. The Ranger span around and stared at him oddly, distrust obvious in his eyes.

"What?" He asked. Cloud shrugged and motioned after the trail the woman had taken.

"Somethings telling me I have to follow, so I will." He said as a reply and adjusted his sword harness, readying himself for a run. The Ranger stared at him.

"Even if something is telling you to follow, how would you keep pace with one of the elven bred steeds?" he asked, annoyance in his voice as he stared at the blond stranger. Cloud merely smirked.

"I'm faster then I look. Relax, I'll keep them safe, somethings telling me I have to anyway." he said, then without further adue, he braced himself, then kicked off into the forest, sprinting silently after the fading hoof beats of the beast ridden by the woman. The cool air whipped past his ears as his mako enhanced speed allowed him to catch up with the fast, (but slow compared to his own Chocobo's) steed. He moved silently, running at the four legged creatures side. The woman glanced at him and gasped, reaching for her sword. Cloud fell back and reappeared on her other side.

"Relax, I'm here to help!" He shouted as she took a swing at him with her blade, still clutching her precious cargo to her chest. The woman, Arwen looked ahead then back to him, her eyes wide.

"What kind of man can keep pace with a horse!" She asked in a shocked, but suspicious voice. Cloud smirked while running, absently jumping over a log at the same time Asfoloth did.

"My kind." he said in way of an answer. Arwen stared at him for a moment, but a sudden shrieking scream made up her mind as she nodded and sheathed her sword after eyeing his own.

"Very well, your help will be most appreciated...?" Cloud jumped over a rock, wincing as the screaming continued behind them, drawing closer.

"Cloud." He replied as he glanced over his shoulder, eyes zeroing in on the shifting black figures that appeared through the fog behind them some fifty yards back. He frowned, but decided to save his questions for later.

"Ride on ahead, I'll stall them!" he called as he skidded to a halt and turned, drawing Tsurugi. The black clad figures rode the same manner of steed as Arwen, but theirs were black and reeked of death and decay. He wrinkled his nose at the smell and drew back his blade, which began to glow green. He smirked as he finished charging up his Limit Break and swung Tsurugi forward and down, unleashing a streak of bright green and purple light that split the ground in it's wake and collided with the first and second rider with a crack, the whinnies of the steeds turning into cries as their riders screamed again, the force of the attack throwing them off their steeds and sending them all to the ground in a jumbled mass of flying dirt and tangled limbs. Cloud winced as more screams retched the air, ringing in his ears and filling his mind with despair. He grit his teeth and shook his head violently before sheathing his faintly glowing blade and turned, kicking off into a sprint that quickly turned into powerful bounds as he raced after Arwen, their pursuers effectively stalled for the moment.

. . .  
. . .

When he finally caught up to Arwen the forest was quickly thinning out until they emerged out into wide open land painted shades or orange and brown from the dried grass and rocks. Cloud's breath came out in heavy pants as he finally took point beside Arwen, who noticed him and gaspd in shock, before exclaiming something like relief in her native tongue. The Screamers, as Cloud had taken to calling them had never stopped chasing them. Many times had Cloud been forced to stop and 'stall' them. Which resulted in at least two of the black riders being reduced to ribbons and therefore absent from the other riders, who emerged from the forest and formed in line behind them. Cloud cursed and turned back to the front, his legs carrying him alongside Asfoloth. Cloud was far from exhausted, hell, he could keep running like this for at least two days without stopping, but it didn't mean he wasn't sore and winded from the constant running at the fast pace.

"We must move faster! Noro lim Asfoloth!" Cloud watched in amazement as the creature next to him drew itself up and, with a powerful kick pulled ahead of him with a whinny. Cloud blinked, a new respect for the four legged creatures blooming. He shook his head with a gasped sigh, then followed after the beast, once again falling into step with it. He looked up and Arwen was staring at him in disbelief. He flashed her a grin, before suddenly stumbling and nearly falling on his face, and at such speeds...well, he probably wouldn't have much of a face left if he landed on it. He shook his head and looked back to the front even as the woman beside him gave a surprised giggle. The screams behind them reminded them of their position, and a wheezed gasp from Frodo had them both once again picking up the pace. Cloud, while trying to steady his panting caught the scent of water, then saw a river up ahead. Arwen raised up in her saddle at the side and smiled in relief.

Cloud didn't fancy getting his boots wet, and instead of plowing through the small river like he would have liked to cool himself off, he crouched mid step and lept, clearing the small river in one jump, much to Arwen's shock. He landed hard and nearly lost his footing as he stumbled to a stop and turned just in time to see Arwen turn her steed around and draw her sword. The Screamers come to a stop on the other side of the river and spread along the bank, their horses puffing and whinnying as they dug at the waters edge. Cloud leaned forward and resting his hands on his knees as he fought to regain his breath, taking the chance to rest. Arwen glanced at him in subdued amusement, then steeled her gaze and turned back to the riders.

"Give up the halfing, she-elf!" The seeming leader Screamer hissed, it's voice grating and hoarse. Cloud raised himself back up and inhaled deeply, then exhaled, eyeing the creatures with disgust as he kept Arwen in his line of sight.

"If you want him, come and claim him!" she declared. Cloud tensed as the riders paused, then moved to do just that, easing their steeds into the rushing water and plowing on towards them. Cloud raised a hand and rested it on Tsurugi's hilt, but didn't draw it. He blinked as the tell tail tingle of magic permitted the air around him, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. "Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer. Rimmo nin Bruinen dan in Ulaer." Cloud stepped back as the magic washed through the air, but remained idle. Arwen rose her voice, and Cloud heard something change in the water upriver. "Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer. Rimmo nin Bruinen dan in Ulaer!" Cloud's eyes widened as a stampede of water horses barrelled around the bend in the river and plowed towards the riders, who where stuck smack in the middle of the river. He watched in awed amusement as the water horses plowed into them head on, sweeping them down river with ease, their screams fading as they were swept further down river. Cloud's sharp ears picked up a wheeze and gasp and he glanced up to the bundle Arwen was still clutching. The woman gasped and dismounted, kneeling on the wet stones and lowered Frodo to the ground. "No! Frodo, no! Frodo- don't give in, not now!" Cloud watched on, then span on his heel and reached for his sword as several armed men jumped out of the woods behind them, all wearing odd armor with bows and arrows pointed at him. Arwen looked up and gasped. "Tampa! He is a friend!"

. . .  
. . .

What grace is given me, pass on to him, let him be spared, save him.

Lasto beth nin, tolo dan na ngalad...

. . .


	3. Rivendell

. . . 

Cloud gazed out of the window he was currently perched on, the beautiful scenery was a welcome change from the dreary city of Edge and endless barren wastes. He had been taken to Rivendell along with Arwen and Frodo, who had been rushed away with Arwen while he was shown to a room by another beautiful woman. He had noticed that all the people here seemed inhumanly good looking, and all with pointed ears no less! He was sure he had never seen something so odd. He hadn't asked any of the pointy eared folk about what they were, not wanting to possibly offend them. They had shown him nothing but kindness and hospitality since his arrival, but he had been on the recieving end of many a curious stare as he passed by the people of Rivendell. They had all stared at him, as if they had never seen a man before! He blinked, ok, maybe not any men that looked or dressed like him. He hadn't seen any clothing even remotely similar to the clothing of Gaia, and had guessed by the current weaponry and clothing that this had to be in a time long in the past. He had been shown to this room and left to his own devices with a promise of an escort to dinner at sunset. He had simply stood there, dumbfounded as the woman bowed, closed the door and left. After that he had looked around, and found himself a fully drawn bathtub full of warm water. Naturally, after running like a lunatic for the last couple of hours he had hopped at the chance to clean off the sweat and grime that had gathered on his skin and clothing, hell even his hair! Though, during his bath another woman had entered, bowed and gathered his clothing, politely keeping her eyes averted as she left, telling him she was to wash his clothing and return them to him shortly. That was about fifteen minutes ago now, he had washed himself off quickly after that and climbed out of the odd tub and dried himself off with the towel provided and, having nothing else to wear had shrugged on the plain white robe hanging by the wall. It was basically a bath robe, but made out of an odd material that seemed to be a cross between cotton and silk. It was comfortable enough, but he never did like walking around without his own clothes on. After pulling on the robe he had sat on the opened window sill, where he was now, eyeing the surrounding beauty. It truely was beautiful, nothing like this existed on Gaia, ShinRa and it's reactors had seen to that.

He had inquired about Frodo's health from a passing she-elf (He had put the pieces together and gathered these pointy eared creatures were elves) and had been told that Lord Elrond was seeing to him. He had then asked about Arwen, and had been lightly scolded and told to call her 'Lady Arwen'. Then told she was busy. He sighed and looked back into the room from the window, taking in the large soft looking bed and the stone walls. It was a truely well crafted building that was for sure, and it was oddly homey. He blinked as the door opened and what appeared to be an elderly man entered, he eyed the odd looking old man, who was clad in a long grey robe with a staff in one hand and his own clothes in his other. The old man made his way towards the bed and placed his cleaned clothing on it, then turned to him, tapped his staff, then promptly sat himself in the chair beside his bed. He blinked at the old man, watching as his grey beared pulled as he smiled, and his big bushy brows tilted up as twinkling blue eyes smiled at him, the expression an over all friendly one. Cloud wasn't fooled easily, because honestly, Sephiroth could give him the same look and he wouldn't fall for it...but then again, that image was disturbing, so he banished it and focused back on the smiling old man, who had a natural power swirling about him and his staff, heavily suppressed yes but Cloud's own impressive Mana easily sought it out. This old man had magic, powerful magic, different from the magic of Gaia though...

"You must be the mysterious Cloud." The man said, his voice easy and welcoming, grandfatherly almost. Cloud could sense the underlying magic and smirked, unaffected by the alluring swirls as it tried to coax the truth from him.

"Your magic tricks will not work on me, sorcerer. Just ask, and I will answer. Yes, I am 'the mysterious Cloud'." he said with a wave of his hand. The old man didn't look surprised as he pulled a pipe from within his robes and lit it, smoking it without a thought as he leaned back in his chair and gazed appraisingly at him, a small smile tilting his lips around the wooden pipe.

"You sense my magic, and prove immune to it, fascinating." the man said with a small chuckle. Cloud blinked at him. "Your eyes, they glow...very unusual. Tell me, Cloud, what are you exactly? If not an elf, or a man, what are you? Certainly not a dwarf." Cloud frowned at the unfamiliar creature known as a 'dwarf' but figured from the old mans amused huff that it wasn't flattering. He raised a brow.

"It's rude to ask anothers name, and ask about them, without first giving your own name and story." He said tartly. The old man choked on his pipe as he chuckled.

"Indeed!" he chuckled. "Ah yes, forgive me then, my name is Gandalf the Grey. I am an Istari sent by the Valar to watch over the peoples of Arda. And, before you ask, I know more about you, Cloud Strife, then you might think." Gandalf said with an amused tilt to his lips and eyes. Cloud tensed and shifted, eyes narrowed.

"I don't remember giving my last name out to anyone, old man." He said. Gandalf waved him off as he blew out an odd shaped whisp of smoke.

"Do not fret my boy, all is well. I was informed of your pending arrival days ago by your Gaia. The Valar had agreed to your arrival and had helped in bringing you here. I had heard you landed in Amon Sul, correct?" He asked. Cloud had no idea where this 'Amon Sul' was. Gandalf realised this and chuckled again, then pulled a rolled up parchment from his robes and stood to hand it to the tense blond. "Memorise that map well, Cloud, for it might just come in handy one of these days." He said. Cloud accepted the rolled up map, but didn't move to unroll it. Gandalf gave him a smile as he retreated towards the door. "Now, I must take my leave. Frodo is due to awaken shortly, and I have much to apologise for I'm afraid." The old man said as he opened the large door. He paused and turned back to Cloud with an odd glint in his eye. "Ah yes, Lord Elrond has extended to you an invitation to a Council in five days time. In the mean time, rest well." with that the old wizard departed, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

. . .

. . .

Four days later found Cloud once again clad in his own clothing and wandering the halls of Rivendell. Over the days he had learned quite a few things about this new world. For one, he had learned more about the elves who housed him, he had been shocked to learn that they were renowned for their beauty, kindness, fierceness in battle and immortality. Cloud didn't know if he'd ever return to Gaia, but at least now he knew that if his own immortality proved too much, he could stay with these fair folk. He had already found grudging friends in the twin sons of Lord Elrond, Elrohir and Elladan. The two blonds had made it their duty to annoy him, and no matter how many times he threw First Tsurugi at them, they kept coming back. It got to the point that he had just given up and accepted their presence and constant questions. Word had travelled fast about his 'friendship' with the twins, and more elves had stepped forward to ask questions about him. It was all just innocent curiosity, and he was well aware of that, but it still made him uncomfortable. Then he had met the Ranger again, only the day before. Aragorn, the mans name was, had been grateful to him for protecting Arwen and Frodo, and had thanked him accordingly. Then he'd been interrogated. Who was he, why was he in Amon Sul, how was it possible that he could carry such a large and heavy weapon and keep pace with an elven bred horse, that sort of thing. He'd answered to the best of his ability. Though, when questioned about his speed and strength, he'd hesitated, how could he explain the power of Mako and science to a man who wouldn't even know what a pen was? Thankfully he hadn't been given the chance to think of an answer, because Gandalf, who was proving to be quite useful in tight situations, stepped in and promptly told Aragorn to mind his own business. The man hadn't stopped giving him suspicious looks since. Arwen, bless her soul had accepted him as he was, a friend it seemed and asked no questions. Ok, yeah she'd asked questions, but about his clothes of all things, wandering at the material, the design and why on Middle-Earth he wore such a dreary color when he could brighten himself up a bit. Cloud hadn't said a word to that, black happened to be his favorite color, and he would rather prance around naked then be caught in some of the clothing the elves had offered him. He inwardly cringed at the mental image of himself in tights.

So, over the last four days he'd learned many things and met many people, all interesting and different. But none could compare to the strange habits, of a Hobbit. He had been introduced to one Frodo Baggins by Gandalf, and the little man had been told of his help in getting him to Rivendell. The Hobbit hadn't really left him alone since, and as much as Cloud liked his solitude, being hunted down by a curious and grateful Hobbit was quite...well, with both him and the twins constantly looking for him, solitude was a far off dream. He found he didn't mind though, Frodo was like Denzel in a way, no matter how annoying or childish he seemed, he grew on you, and you couldn't help but smile whenever he went and did something idiotic or sweet. Then he'd been introduced to Merry and Pippin...

He'd been reminded eerily of a younger Yuffie, simple as that. Though they had a certain charm to them he supposed, he didn't feel the urge to strangle them when they went off on one of their pranking schemes, no, he just felt the urge to strangle himself, if that made any sense...

Then there was Sam, shy and wise Sam, he had character, Cloud had noticed, and the large Hobbit was loyal to his friend Frodo, in a way, he reminded Cloud of Nanaki, though more outspoken and shy, easily flustered too.

Not only that, but now he knew what a dwarf was. Now, if only it was possible to shrink Barret and make him grow a beard, he would have fit right in with them. Personally, Cloud could understand why the elves were so offended by them, they were loud, rude, obnoxious and very prideful. He had no real complaints about them, some of them, like Gimli, son of Gloin, were good company...in small doses.

Over all his stay so far in Arda was proving to be very interesting...

. . .

. . .

The next morning, Cloud had been roused early by a soft knocking at his door, and quickly rose from the soft bed he had been so comfortable in. He was wearing only his black pants as he opened the door, and came face to face with Arwen, who smiled at him.

"I hope you have slept well, Cloud. My father has sent me to collect you for the Council, it will begin within the hour." She said. Cloud nodded and retreated back into his room, dressing quickly and sheathing First Tsurugi on his back before following Arwen through the halls of the Last Homely House, moving with as much grace as the elleth he trailed.

He was led out into a small courtyard and motioned to join the gathering of elves, dwarves and men. He returned Arwen's small nod before moving to stand beside Frodo, who blinked and smiled up at him from his seat beside Gandalf. The blond SOLDIER responded with a small smile of his own and leaned back on the stone wall behind him, folding his arms and blanking his face, appearing to the others as calm, and only half interested in the proceedings. Finally, after a few more moments, Elrond rose from his seat at the head of the gathering.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old...You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall." His voice was firm, commanding attention from those present as a hush fell over the gathering. "Each race is bound to this one fate, this one doom. Bring forth the ring, Frodo." Cloud watched as the Hobbit stood and slowly approached the pedestal in the center of the circle, where he hesitantly deposited a small and plain gold ring. Cloud's glowing blue eyes narrowed to slits as he gazed upon the innocent looking piece if jewellery, and he felt the Mako in his blood spike at the threat it presented. It reeked of evil, he could feel it slithering against his skin, he could taste it on his tongue as he glared at the gold band that almost seemed to whisper to him. He could feel Gandalf's gaze boring into the side of his head.

"So it is true...The doom of men...It is a gift." Cloud's eyes snapped from the evil Ring to the one who had spoken. He was a rugged looking man, and Cloud somehow knew that he had already fallen to the whispers that echoed in his ears from the Ring. "A gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use the Ring?" The man stepped forward, towards the gold band sitting innocently on the pedestal, and Cloud felt himself tense as he continued forward. "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the Enemy. Let us use it against him!" He proclaimed. Cloud couldn't stop the snort that issued from his lips, and all eyes turned to him.

"Can't you feel it?" he asked as he stared steadily at the man, Boromir if he remembered correctly. "That Ring is evil." he said as his gaze drifted over to the gold band. "Trying to use it would only lead to your destruction." he finished. Boromir was glaring at him, and opened his mouth to retort when Aragorn stepped forward.

"He is right. You cannot wield the Ring! None of us can! The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other Master." He said as he folded his arms, glancing briefly at Cloud. Boromir sneered at the Ranger.

"And what would a mere Ranger know of this matter?" He asked snidely. Cloud had half the mind to toss him off the balcony. Gaia's Champion watched as another blond, an elf stood from his place beside Aragorn and glared at Boromir.

"This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance!"

Boromir was not impressed. "Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" He asked. The blond smirked.

"And Heir to the throne of Gondor." The blond elf stated. Aragorn rubbed the bridge of his nose, then rested a hand on the elfs shoulder.

"Havo dad, Legolas." The blond slowly did as told. Boromir sniffed disdainfully, and Cloud itched to really toss him off the balcony, he hated men who thought and acted as though they were better then everyone else simply because of who their father was.

"Gondor has no King; Gondor needs no King." He said as he moved back to his seat. Gandalf stood, leaning on his staff as he nodded to Aragorn.

"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it." he said. Cloud turned his eyes back to the Ring as a sinister voice whispered in his ear.

"I can give you power...Just take me and foes shall fall at your feet..." Cloud glared at the One Ring.

"I do not need anymore power." he whispered to himself, but the blond elf who was sat beside Aragorn, not two seats away from him snapped his head around to stare at him.

"One can never have enough power. I can give you more, I can give you everything you've ever wanted..." Cloud's folded arms strained as he grit his teeth.

"Be silent." he hissed, then finally noticed the elf staring at him uneasily. Cloud gave the blond a steady stare of his own, and he finally looked away, but kept glancing at him every now and then. Elrond spoke up once again from where he had been silent on his throne.

"You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." He said. Cloud agreed wholeheartedly. The thing was a menace, and he was willing to bet it's master was even more so. Gimli, the first dwarf he had ever encountered snorted and stood, heaving a great axe from his shoulder.

"Then what are we waiting for?" And with that he cleared the space between his small stature and the pedestal and struck the Ring with his axe. There was a sudden flash of light and Cloud's eyes widened as he threw himself to the ground just in time to avoid being impaled by flying pieces of the great axe, that embedded themselves in the wall behind him. There was silence, and he was helped to his feet by Aragorn, who gave him a small smirk.

"Nice reflexes." he said. Cloud huffed and dusted himself off, shooting a scowl at the dwarf, who had been thrown back into his bretheren. Cloud stepped away from the Ranger and took back his place beside Frodo, who was looking decidedly pale. Elrond spoke once more.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this." Once he finished Boromir barked a laugh and stepped forward.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the Great Eye is ever-watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!" Cloud watched as the blond elf, (he guessed was named Legolas from Aragorn's earlier words) stood.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!." Then Gimli jumped up.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!" He growled. Legolas glared at him even as Boromir pipped up.

"And what if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" He asked. Gimli ignored him and jabbed at the air above him.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf! Never trust an elf!" The others exclaimed in anger and jumped up, and it descended into an argument from there. Cloud watched as even Gandalf joined the fray, shouting his own words. The blond warrior was silent, and he noticed Frodo was shaking slightly as he stared at the Ring. Cloud frowned and rested a reassuring hand on the Hobbit's mop of curly brown hair, startling the little man. Frodo looked up at him with large blue eyes, then smiled at him. The smaller man nodded to himself, then stood.

"I will take it." He said. Cloud's eyes widened in surprise, but no one else had seemed to hear him. "I will take it!" he said, louder this time. Silence descended as eyes turned to the small Hobbit at his side. "I will take the Ring to Mordor." Cloud was inwardly amused, you could have heard a pin drop at this point, but he was still worried for Frodo, who reminded him so strongly of Denzel. "Though...I do not know the way." Gandalf sighed, then smiled, leaning on his staff as he eyed the small Hobbit.

"I will help you bare this burden, Frodo Baggins, for as long as it is yours to bare." Frodo stared up at him, even as Aragorn moved and knelt in front of him.

"If, by my life or death, I can protect you, I will. You have my sword." he vowed. Legolas stood and smiled.

"And you have my bow." He said. Gimli, obviously not wanting to be outdone by an elf rose up.

"And my axe!" he boasted. Cloud rolled his eyes in amusement. Boromir sighed, then stepped forward, gazing down at Frodo with a soft respect.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done." He said as he bowed his head to the brunette Hobbit. Cloud's ears had picked up the faint rustle in the bushes not far beside him and smiled in amusement as Sam stumbled out.

"Er, Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!" Elrond shared Cloud's amusement, but hid it behind a scolding facade.

"No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is invited to a secret council, and you are not." He stated. Sam flushed as he scuffed his bare foot on the ground, then jumped as suddenly two blond blurs stumbled out of the bushes behind him, nearly knocking him over.

"Hey, we're coming too!" proclaimed Pippin as he righted himself. Merry nodded his agreement.

"You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." he said as he folded his arms. Pippin nodded sagely.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing." he trailed off. Merry elbowed him playfully.

"Well that rules you out Pip!" He said. Elrond gazed around the council and nodded.

"Nine companions. So be-"

"Ten." Cloud suddenly said, raising his blue gaze to the elf lord. Everyone stared at him in confusion or shock, especially Frodo. Cloud shrugged, he had no idea why he had suddenly had the urge to go with them on this journey. "I will go as well." He said. After a long moment, Elrond finally consented with a nod.

"Ten companions then...So be it. You shall be the Fellowship Of The Ring." he declared. Everyone nodded. Pippin bounced on the balls of his feet with a grin on his face.

"Right!" he chirped. "Where are we going?"

Cloud suddenly decided that they were all doomed...


	4. Moria

The next day, Cloud had gathered his things to his person and followed Aragorn to the courtyard where the Fellowship would be sent off. They had stood waiting for the others before finally departing with the blessing of Lord Elrond and the elves. They had been gifted with a single Pony that carried the Fellowships supplies and nothing else.

Currently Cloud was perched on a wide rock slightly overlooking their current camp, listening as Gandalf spoke to himself, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. "We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns east to Mordor." Before him was a map that he traced with the tip of his pipe, laying out their course. Cloud had memorized the map the old wizard had given him, now knowing where everything was thanks to a handy little thing called photographic memory. He turned away from the wizard and watched in amusement as Boromir tutored the Hobbits in sword play.

"...three, four, five...Good, very good!" Praised Boromir as he lightly swung his sword at the two Hobbits Merry and Pippin. Cloud huffed a laugh.

"Move your feet!" he called out as the Hobbits danced away from the older man.

"That's good Pippin!" shouted Merry as they ducked under another swing. Cloud divided his attention between the show and Gimli as he spoke.

"If anyone were to ask my opinion, which I note they're not, I would say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome." He said. Gandalf gave a sigh and eyed the dwarf.

"No, Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice." He said. Cloud blinked and turned back to the Hobbits when Merry cried out.

"Ow!" He watched as Boromir backed up and waved his hands in apology.

"Sorry!" he said quickly. Merry and Pippin suddenly gave a war cry of 'For the Shire!' before running and tackling the startled fighter and Cloud chuckled despite himself as a fully grown man was taken down by two child sized Hobbits. As he laughed something on the horizon caught his eye, and his laughter trailed off as he frowned at a black cloud. He tilted his head and stood, eyeing the swiftly approaching cloud. No, it wasn't a cloud, it couldn't be, cloud's did not move in such a way.

"What is it?" asked Sam as he stood from his place beside the fire as he noticed Cloud's alertness. Everyone paused in what they were doing. Gimli puffed out a whisp of smoke from his own pipe.

"Nothing, just a whisp of cloud, ahaha, get it? Cloud? Ha!" He howled with laughter as he pointed at the blond, who was still stood on the rock, eyes narrowed on the shifting cloud, ignoring the dwarf. Boromir climbed onto the rock beside him and shielded his eyes from the morning sun.

"It's moving fast, and against the wind." He said. Cloud could hear the beating of many small wings, and caught the scent of evil on the wind. Suddenly Legolas, who was on another rock just ahead of him gasped.

"Crebain, from Dunland!" he shouted. Aragorn jumped up.

"Hide!" he shouted. Everyone scattered to hide the evidence of their camp then dove behind rocks and under bushes. Cloud meanwhile still stood on the rock, keen eyes spotting the many black birds in a swarm. "Cloud, get down!" hissed Aragorn. Cloud stepped back and jumped off the rock, throwing himself under a large bush, landing on something that 'oofed' under the combined weight of him and his sword. He blinked down at Legolas, who scowled at him good naturedly. He raised a brow.

"Sorry, didn't know this bush was occupied." he whispered as the shrieks of the Crebain swirled above them, then finally faded into the distance. Without further adieu he heaved himself off the blond elf and stood, watching as the black cloud disappeared once again. Gandalf emerged from his place behind a large rock with Frodo hidden in his robe coat.

"Spies of Saruman! The passage south is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras." He declared. Cloud absently flicked a leaf from his shoulder pauldron and sighed, suddenly missing his Fenrir.

. . .  
. . .

Cloud, not for the first time, thanked the Goddess for his enhancements. No matter how they were attained, and no matter the side effects, mako was very handy as he scrubbed a wad of snow from his hair. He watched with a small smirk on his lips as Boromir tripped and fell face first into the snow, while Legolas walked up to him and heaved him to his feet. The Gondorian man was knee deep in snow, while the elf, much like himself, walked on top of it. He figured the light footedness of the elves gave them that ability, and he himself coming from Nibelheim gave him his. Well, ok, maybe mako helped as well, because even with his large and quite heavy sword, he still walked atop the snow, receiving many death glares from Gimli, who was near chest deep in the white ocean.

He was currently walking along the outer side of the Fellowship, with a good vantage point should something happen. Legolas was walking ahead of him with Boromir while Gimli pulled up the rear, behind the Hobbits. A moment later he saw Frodo stumble and fall, rolling back down the snow covered mountain even as his friends tried to grab him. Quickly, he darted across the snow and grabbed the little man, pulling him up and onto his feet by his cloak, dusting snow from his hair and clothes as the little man fixed himself up with a huff. Suddenly, Cloud caught a glimpse of gold in the snow ahead, and his eyes zeroed in on the form of the Ring, still attached to the silver chain, half buried in the snow. He tensed behind Frodo as Boromir stooped to pick the Ring up, holding it by it's chain as he gazed at the gold band. Aragorn suddenly turned and saw the Gondorian with the Ring.

"Boromir!" he shouted, hand straying to his sword, but upon seeing Cloud with Frodo he eased a bit.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing..." he said, almost reverently. Cloud leveled a sharp glare on the man and rested his hands on Frodo's shoulders.

"Boromir, return the Ring to Frodo." he said coolly. Boromir blinked and looked at him, suddenly shrugging. He tossed it to Frodo, who caught it clumsily but held onto it tight.

"As you wish, I care not." he said and turned, continuing up the mountain. Cloud didn't believe him, not for a second.

. . .  
. . .

This was getting out of hand, Cloud decided as he shielded his eyes from the howling wind and flying snow. He was atop the snow and moving with more ease then the other men, but the wind in his eyes was annoying him to no end. He'd seen his fair share of blizzards in Nibelheim, but this was ridiculous. He was walking beside Gandalf, who was in the lead of the group, using his staff to dig through the now chest deep snow. The blizzard had come without warning, and had hit hard. The Hobbit's were so small they would have been completely submerged in the snow if the men hadn't pulled them onto their backs. Gimli, Cloud noted was struggling at the rear again. He shook his head and approached the cursing dwarf.

"Need a hand?" he yelled over the roaring winds. Gimli looked up at him and spat out some snow.

"If you wouldn't mind lad!" he shouted back. Cloud smirked and grabbed him by the back of his chain mail shirt, easily lifting his short but bulky form from the snow. He carried the dwarf to the front of the group and deposited him behind Gandalf, so he would have the help of Aragorn should he need it. Suddenly, something other then roaring wind caught his attention, and he turned his gaze to the sky.

"What is that?" he thought to himself. Legolas stood a few paces in front of him and called back.

"There is a foul voice in the air!" He shouted. Gandalf, with white clumps of snow stuck in his beard looked up.

"It's Saruman!" He shouted. Aragorn grabbed the wizards shoulder.

"He's trying to bring down the Mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back." The grey wizard shook his head.

"No!" with that he stepped forward and his voice suddenly boomed through the air, and the magic that followed tickled Cloud's skin and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, as if charged with electricity. "Losto Caradharas, sedho, hodo, nuitho I 'ruith!" For all the magic in the air, it didn't seem to work as lightning suddenly struck the mountain side above them, sending snow cascading down towards them. Cloud looked up, but didn't get the chance to flatten himself to the mountain side along with the others, and the snow collided into him, knocking the air from his lungs. He felt himself fall from the path, and watched as another did as well.

He lashed out with a gloved hand, catching a jagged rock and snapped out the other, catching the other falling member by the back of his cloak. Their combined weight jolted his body painfully as they dangled, and Cloud grit his teeth as his shoulder gave a sickening pop. They dangled from the side of the path as crimson blood dripped down from his split glove, tickling his arm as it snaked down to his shoulder. He fOrced a breath into his lungs, the air hissing past his clenched teeth as he heaved Gimli up, then tossed him over the path, his flailing form caught by Boromir, sending them both into the snow. Cloud couldn't move the arm that was holding him to the mountain side, his shoulder had dislocated when he caught Gimli, but he did manage to grip the same jagged rock with his other hand. Suddenly Legolas appeared over his hands and grabbed his arms, heaving him up and back onto the safety of the path, before depositing him gently to the ground, where he promptly let himself fall backwards into the snow with a harsh exhale of air.

"Cloud, are you alright?" asked the other blond as he poked at the blood coating his arm. Cloud waved the elf off and sat up, wincing as the movement jarred his shoulder.

"Save it for later, can we please get the hell off this mountain first?" he said over the wind. Boromir nodded his agreement as he righted a pale Gimli.

"We should get off the mountain and make for the Gap of Rohan, or take the West Road to my city!" he shouted over the wind. Aragorn shook his head.

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" He retorted. Gimli shook snow from his beard.

"If we cannot go over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria!" The dwarf said. Cloud, who was in the process of popping his should back into place paused. Under the mountain? Why the hell hadn't they done that in the first place? Gandalf sighed.

"Let the Ring Bearer decide. Frodo?" He asked the red faced, blue lipped and shivering Hobbit. Cloud, who could barely feel the biting cold winced at the sight of the Hobbits. They looked worse for wear for sure, the cold wasn't doing them any favors. Frodo nodded.

"We will go through the mines." He declared. Cloud frowned as he saw a flash of grim acceptance pass across the old wizards face.

"Very well." He said. So they backtracked and descended from the mountain, leaving the blistering cold and howling winds behind them...

. . .  
. . .

Cloud trudged along behind the Fellowship, sharp eyes scanning the dark rocks surrounding them. He didn't like it here, there were far too many places for something to ambush them from, and there was something faint in the air. The smell was so light that he couldn't identify it, but he knew instinctively that it wasn't anything he would like. Not only that, but he had a feeling; it was the feeling he got when he was being followed or watched, and it was making him edgy.

Gimli, who he could hear gleefully telling the Hobbits of the hospitality of Dwarves was near bouncing around at the front of the group, but still behind a silent Gandalf. Frodo, oddly enough had fallen back into step with him, and Cloud decided it must of been for the quiet. He didn't talk much compared to the others, and he supposed that made him less of a headache as far as Merry and Pippin went. He didn't mind though, the child sized adult was pleasant company, he never spoke too loudly, never asked too many uncomfortable questions and was content to remain silent most of the time.

They continued in silence, with only Gimli's voice bouncing across the surrounding rocks as they came to a flat wall of stone in front of a dark lake. Cloud wrinkled his nose as he eyed the murky waters, the smell of dead fish and stale water drifting on the light breeze.

"The walls of Moria!" proclaimed Gimli as he tapped his axe along it's surface. Cloud eyed the wall, not finding anything special about it except for it's odd flatness. Gandalf stood before the walls.

"It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." he said. Just then the clouds in the sky seemed to part at his words, and Cloud gasped as the once flat and plain wall lit up, the moonlight illuminating an archway of twisting vines and pillars of white light. It was a door. His eyes trailed over the unfamiliar writing across the top, and Gandalf pointed to the words with his staff. "The Door of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak Friend, and enter." He said. Cloud raised a brow, never being one for riddles.

"What do you suppose it means?" asked Merry as he sat on a rock next to Cloud. The blond shrugged. Gandalf huffed a small laugh.

"Ah, it's quit simple. If you are a friend you speak the password, and the door will open." He declared as he turned back to the lit up doorway. "Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!" He proclaimed in a powerful voice. Nothing happened, and Cloud could hear crickets. Gandalf blinked as Gimli snorted, then tried again, speaking in other tongues as he waved his staff around, trying to open the doors. Cloud sighed and allowed himself to drop onto the rock with Merry, mindful of Tsurugi as he folded his arms.

"I have a feeling we'll be here for a while." he said, causing Merry to snicker. Cloud sat back with Merry and they watched as Sam said goodbye to Bill the Pony. A shiver went up Cloud's spine as he heard a loud 'plop' and turned over his shoulder to see Pippin tossing rocks into the murky waters of the lake. He frowned, his battle honed instincts were telling him to stop the foolish Hobbit but he was beaten to it as Aragorn grabbed the small blonds hand before he could throw another rock.

"Do not disturb the water. We do not know what lies beneath." He warned softly. Pippin paled and stumbled away from the waters, quickly moving to drop next to Merry, who slapped him over the back of his head. Cloud was still watching the water with a frown, while the ripples had stopped something was still disturbing the water further out. He nearly jumped when Frodo, who was standing a little ways to his right suddenly exclaimed.

"It's a riddle!" He said. Cloud snorted, he had figured that much out and that's why he hadn't bothered. He could kill things, fight of insane General's and handle kids, but if you asked him to solve a riddle? Yeah, right. "'Speak friend and enter! What's the elvish word for friend?" he asked. Cloud blinked, that did kind of make sense. Gandalf stood from his own rock.

"Mellon." he said, and finally after two hours of sitting around, the doors grated open. Cloud almost fell backwards off his rock when a sudden gust of foul air hit him and he suppressed a gag. Dead, the air was dead, and it reeked of dried blood and decay. No one seemed the wiser and entered, and he, not willing to allow them to go without him stood and hurried in, only dimly aware of Gimli speaking as his enhanced eyes flashed and glowed brightly in the darkness.

"Soon, Mr. Elf, you will experience the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves: roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" He said, his voice echoing off the walls. Cloud's hand itched to draw his weapon as the smell grew stronger upon entry, and he looked down upon the ground to find a half rotten body of a dwarf, and he staggered back before his boot could step on it.

"This is no mine, 'tis a tomb!" said Boromir as they all finally noticed the death that surrounded them. Gimli howled and span around, taking in the forms of his long dead kin.

"Goblins!" hissed the groups resident elf as he threw a black arrow to the ground in disgust. Cloud was trying not to breath, the smell was stronger then anything he had ever smelt before, outclassing even Nibelheim during it's destruction. Boromir span on his heel and pointed back through the archway.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan! We should never have come here, get out at once!" He growled. There was muttered agreement among the group, and Cloud frowned as something tickled the edge of his awareness. Suddenly Frodo gave a terrified cry, and the company turned as one to find the shouting Hobbit being dragged back through the doorway by his ankle. Cloud had his sword drawn and was already running after the frightened man as the others finally registered what was happening.

"Get off him!" shouted Sam as he drew his own little sword and followed.

"Frodo!" cried Merry.

"Strider!" called Pippin as he too chased after the screaming Hobbit. Gandalf grabbed all three Hobbits and threw them back.

"Into the mines!" he shouted as the men threw themselves out the doorway. Cloud hacked at the tentacles of what appeared to be a giant sea monster, knee deep in water as he sliced through limb after limb to get to Frodo, who was being tossed around like a rag doll.

"Hold on Frodo!" Shouted Legolas as he fired arrow after arrow at the beast. Cloud jumped over a tentacle and landed on another, using it as a spring board to throw himself into the air, hand outstretched as he reached for the terrified Ring Bearer. Just as his fingers grazed the brunettes cloak, something hard and slimy collided painfully into his side and threw him through the air. He choked back a gasp as he impacted the water and flailed as he was dragged deeper by the weight of his sword, air escaping his lungs as he fought to swim through the thick water, but another tentacle wrapped around his leg and dragged him deeper, towards a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Cloud's own eyes widened as he saw a giant mouth open and rows upon rows of razor like teeth waiting for him. Above him, he could still hear the muffled shouts of the Fellowship as they fought to free Frodo. Suddenly with a snarl, his sword burst into life, a green fire crawling along the blade as he himself began to glow with the power of a Limit Break.

The tentacle around his leg was sliced off without a thought, and with a powerful kick he was flying up through the water towards the surface. He broke out of the lake with a spray of water, glowing brightly as he drew back Tsurugi, took careful aim and then thrust his blade forward. An arc of green light flew forth from the tip of his blade and sliced through the air, cutting through tentacles as it flew towards the now visible body of the creature. It released a high pitched shriek as the light impacted it's head, slicing into it's tough skin and leaving a gaping gash that spurted black blood. Frodo was dropped and caught by Aragorn even as Cloud heaved himself out of the water and stumbled after them, wincing as his side protested the movements.

"Into the mines, quick!" shouted Gandalf as the sea monster roared and gave chase, using it's limbs to pull itself out of the water and after them. Upon entering the mines Cloud turned to see the creature pulling itself through the doorway. He cursed as he readied himself for another fight, but the walls above and around the door rumbled and suddenly gave way, burying the monster in rubble and effectively killing it, and also trapping them within.

The darkness that followed the doorways destruction was nearly enough to blind even Cloud, but his steadily glowing eyes provided him enough light to see that Frodo was unharmed with Aragorn, and that all were accounted for within the mine. A light suddenly bloomed into existence, and he didn't even blink as it was turned on him and the rest of the group. Gandalf blinked in surprise as his eyes reflected the light eerily, but otherwise didn't comment. Cloud had been told by Tifa that sometimes, when the light hit his eyes just right, they lit up and reflected any and all light, much like a cat's.

"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard, there are older and fouler things than Orcs hiding in the deep." He said seriously. Cloud sheathed his sword, shaking his head to rid his spikes of cold water. He was tired, wet and his side was sore, all in all he doubted he'd be in much of a mood from now on, so bring on the monsters, all the better to work out his frustrations at his poor luck. As they moved Gandalf motioned them along a path. "Quietly now, it is a four day journey to the other side, let us hope we go unnoticed." He said. Cloud hummed in agreement.

"Yes, lets hope." he muttered as he fell into step with Frodo, who was also wet. This place was giving him the chills, there was something here that made him uneasy, and they were still being followed...

. . .  
. . .

They had been walking for going on three hours now, and had been climbing for nearly another hour. Cloud, upon first seeing the steep stairway had vowed to find the idiot who designed them and ring his neck. But that had been before, now he wanted to find him and boil him in acid. With a huff he bounded up another set of steep stairs, easily passing by the others and even jumping past Legolas, who was ahead of the group by a few yards. He stopped on a narrow ledge and looked back down, his eyes still glowing eerily in the darkness.

"Come on, we're nearly to the top." he called down to the others. He received groans in reply. Gimli, who was behind Gandalf heaved himself up another few steps and glared at him.

"You, lad, must be half mountain goat I tell you!" he said, then chuckled and pointed at Legolas. "And look, even the elf is eating your dust! Ha! Not so great now are you, Mr. Elf, out done by a mere man!" he howled with laughter, then yelped as he nearly lost his footing. Boromir sighed from his place under the dwarf.

"Less chatting, and more climbing, I don't know about you, but I'd like to get out of this place before I turn old and grey." He said. Gandalf heaved himself onto the ledge beside Cloud with Legolas.

"Some of us are already old and grey, Boromir, but do you hear me complaining?" he asked, amusement clear in his eyes. The Gondorian huffed and Cloud rolled his eyes and looked around.

"Alright, where to now Gandalf?" he asked as he glanced down two dark corridors cut into the stone. The old wizard frowned as he looked around.

"I have no memory of this place..." he said slowly as he turned to help Frodo up onto the ledge. Cloud sighed and scratched his head.

"Great." he huffed, then sat down on a rock. The others climbed up and moved about setting up a small fire, deciding this was as good a time as any to take a break.

"Merry, I'm hungry!" declared Pippin as he sat down. Merry snorted.

"Your always hungry." he said. Cloud rolled his eyes and leaned back with his arms folded, shifting as his side finished healing itself. The wound he'd gained from the Mountain had long since healed.

Another hour slowly went by, and most of the Fellowship were scattered about the narrow ledge either trying to catch some sleep or merely resting. Gandalf was perched on a rock by the corridors, looking deep in thought as he gazed into the darkness, his staff had lost its light, and the old wizard hadn't bothered to relight it with the fire going. Cloud, who was sat on the ledge by the stairs with his legs dangling down into nothingness was fiddling with his PHS. Ironically enough, it had endured the trip between worlds and even survived a dip in the water, but then again, it was ShinRa made, you could drop a mountain on one of these things and it would still work.

He was idly flicking through his old messages, deleting them after reading them, it was mainly to stave off boredom anyway. Of course, while it still functioned, it was not receiving any signal, no surprise there, as there were no ShinRa transmitter towers on Arda. A scatter of stones far below suddenly caught his attention, and he closed his PHS with a snap as he gazed out into the darkness, listening. The sound of crunching stone caused him to lean dangerously over the ledge, his legs shifting so he could look straight down. His eyes narrowed as movement broke through the darkness, and pale reflective eyes shined up at him.

"I knew we were being followed." he thought as he returned to his earlier position, not at all worried of the fact. He returned his PHS to it's place in his back pocket and sighed, running a gloved hand through his hair. He grimaced as he pulled a few cobwebs from the once golden, now dirty yellow spikes and flicked them over the ledge. He was by no means a princess when it came to getting down and dirty, because more often then not he'd get home covered in some unidentifiable substance that took hours of endless washing and scrubbing to get out of his hair, but it didn't mean he enjoyed it. He glanced up as Frodo came to stand beside him, fingers twisted in the hem of his shirt as he gazed down into the darkness. The sound of their follower caught the Hobbit's attention and he gasped as he stumbled back.

"There's something down there!" he exclaimed.

"It's the creature Gollum." Gandalf said from his perch, not even turning around. Cloud frowned, but Frodo asked before he could.

"Gollum?" He asked.

"He's been following us for three days." He said. Cloud nodded, he had known they were being followed for a while now, but he hadn't said anything, the creature was small and no doubt weak, so it was no threat in his eyes. Cloud ignored the words exchanged between the Hobbit and the Wizard, not at all interested in this, 'Gollum's' story. He didn't care if it followed them or not, so long as it stayed at a distance and didn't move to attack, if it did, First Tsurugi would take care of it. As the voices droned on, Cloud was suddenly struck with a thought that had him sighing regretfully. With him gone, who would take Fenrir home? The bike had more then likely been left out in the wastes to endure the weather and what ever monster decided to be curious. "Ah, it's this way!" Gandalf suddenly declared. Merry grinned and stood.

"He remembered!" He said. Cloud pulled himself away from his inner grumblings and climbed to his feet, appearing not at all bothered by the gaping void of blackness inches from his toes. Gandalf chuckled and picked up his staff.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down that way. When in doubt Meriadic, always follow your nose!" He said cheerfully as he glanced around the now ready group. He huffed and stamped his staff, the stone on the top lighting up once again. "We can risk I little more light." he said as he continued down the corridor, quickly followed by the Fellowship with Cloud pulling up the rear. Soon they emerged out into a wide open hall that went on, (as far as Cloud's enhanced eyes could tell) for miles. The ceiling was held up by rows upon rows of tall pillars, and the ground beneath their feet flattened out into smooth marble. "Behold!" said Gandalf as he raised his staff to the massive hall. "The great realm of the Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf!" He finished. Cloud let out a whistle that echoed in the vast hall. Sam gaped from beside him.

"Now there's an eye opener for sure." He said in wander. Cloud rolled his eyes and ruffled the round Hobbit's hair as he passed him by, but paused mid-step as Gimli suddenly let out a mournful howl and ran off in a direction ahead of them.

"Gimli!" shouted Gandalf as the others ran after the surprisingly quick dwarf. They all entered what appeared to be a large Tomb, where Gimli was slouching over a stone coffin, sobs wracking his short form. Cloud's eyes wandered around the Tomb as Gandalf read from the coffin. "Here lies Balin, Son of Fundin, Lord of Moria...he is dead then, as I feared." He said gravely. Gimli gave another howl, sounding much like a wounded animal as he blabbered and sobbed in Dwarvish.

Cloud, who had stopped walking to kneel beside the decayed body of a dwarf picked up a moth eaten tome and blew the dust from it's cover. Gandalf noticed him and strode over to snatch it from his fingers, earning a scowl from the blond. He tossed his hat and staff to Pippin, who caught them clumsily and flicked open the tome. As he read in silence the groups resident elf stood uneasily by the door, and Cloud absently noted that the elf's natural, (odd, but actually natural) glow had dimmed somewhat in the darkness of Moria.

"We must keep moving, we cannot linger here!" He said as his large blue eyes flitted about the room. Any response to the elf was halted as Gandalf suddenly spoke, reading form the tome.

"They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but we cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes...Drums, drums in the deep." he read. The hair on the back of Cloud's neck stood on end as the wizard continued. "We cannot get out, a shadow moves in the dark...we cannot get out...They are coming." He finished as he closed the book grimly. Suddenly a loud bang had the whole group jumping, and all eyes snapped to Pippin, who stood sheepishly beside a well where the banging echoed from. Suddenly, Cloud's instincts clawed their way to the surface and demanded he start running and he shifted from foot to foot nervously.

Gandalf strode forward and snatched his belongings back from the red faced Hobbit. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Not a moment later the room fell silent as a distant boom echoed into the room. Cloud decided now was a good time to leave as the booms grew louder, becoming drum beats and Frodo's sword shimmered a light blue.

"Orcs!" hissed Legolas.

"We have to go, now." he said as he swiftly made his way to the large doors, duster flapping behind his legs as he stepped out into the hall only to suddenly bend backwards as a black arrow whizzed past his nose. "Ok, not that way." he muttered as he backed up a few steps and peered around the doorway. He was met with a sight that had him sighing. "Oh, lovely." he spat as he span and re-entered the Tomb where the Fellowship were just moving to leave. "We're not getting out of here without a fight." he said flatly. Aragorn and Boromir exchanged a look, before swiftly moving to bar the door along with Legolas.

"Get back, stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn shouted to the frightened Hobbits as Cloud stooped and picked up a large axe that he threw to Boromir, who caught it with a grunt and heaved it against the door, then turned with an exasperated groan.

"They have a Cave Troll." He said. Gimli jumped up onto Balin's Tomb and waved his axe around.

"Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" He shouted. Cloud unsheathed First Tsurugi and stepped up next to Aragorn, who nodded to him. He returned the nod and barely twitched as the door shuddered and groaned as shrieks and taunts echoed into the room from the Orcs. One managed to break a whole in the door and Legolas let fly an arrow that found it's target right between the eyes. Cloud blinked as another, larger Orc burst through a hole in the door and charged towards them.

The blond swordsman snorted and stepped forward, snatching up a spear that he easily threw, impaling the beast in the chest and sending it flying back through the door, skewering a few others in the process. With that, the rest of the foul beasts broke through the door and spilled into the room like a black plague. Cloud's body tensed, then as the first Orc came within reach of his blade he struck in unison with the two other men beside him, decapitating one Orc and disemboweling another in one swing. Everything went to hell in a hand-basket after that, and Cloud's sword was slicked black in the first three minutes of battle.

Cloud effortlessly sidestepped a sloppy swing from an Orc and retaliated by lodging his boot in it's stomach, kicking the beast back across the room. A few Orcs stopped and stared at the blond, then shrieked and started to flock towards him, identifying him as the immediate threat. Cloud grunted and swung Tsurugi in a horizontal arc, sending a blade of green light through several Orcs who screamed as they were severed in half. As the blond sliced and diced his way through a horde of Orcs, one little beast tried to creep up behind him.

Cloud dodged back and threw his leg behind him, catching the sneaking Orc in the face with the sickening crunch of shattered bone. These little bastards were easy enough to kill for sure, but their sheer numbers were beginning to overwhelm the Fellowship. Cloud and Legolas were having an easier time of it, as they had a lot more stamina and strength then the average man/elf and were easily cutting through Orc after Orc.

Cloud ducked under an arrow and threw his fist forward, catching something uglier then an Orc (if it was possible) in the face and sending it hurtling back across the room and out the door, where a hulking grey figure suddenly came into view. Cloud blanched at the sheer size of what could only have been the cave troll, but didn't have time to dwell on it as he was fOrced to jump back to avoid being cut in half by a vicious, if amusing looking Orc. "Rude little bastards aren't you." snapped the blond as he snapped the spine of another Orc with a swift kick.

"Cloud, help!" The blond SOLDIER span on the spot and threw an Orc from his back, looking over to see Boromir about to be overwhelmed by a wave of Orcs. With a huff the blond simply booted another Orc in the face and jumped, clearing half the room before landing ontop of two of the jeering Orcs, flattening them with a sickening crunch. He pivoted and struck out with Tsurugi, cleanly cutting the wave of Orcs in half with a single swing. Boromir stared at him for a moment.

"Show off!" he sputtered. Cloud shrugged and grinned.

"You asked." he said, then suddenly ducked just in time to avoid a giant spiked club. Boromir yelped and dropped to the floor as it came back and Cloud jumped over it. "Can't you see we're talking here!" called the blond as he ducked under another swing from the trolls club. Cloud decided, as he jumped again, that the troll was quite stupid, and as if to prove his own thoughts, the troll stumbled over its own chains and squashed several of it's own allies. Cloud rolled his eyes, but then saw the threat it presented as it suddenly whacked Aragorn into a wall, knocking him out cold.

"Aragorn!" cried Frodo as he tried to get to the downed Ranger, but the troll was onto him. Cloud wiped black blood from his face and spat on the ground before separating a blade from Tsurugi's base.

"Oh no you don't!" he growled as he used both of his blades to bat the trolls club away from Frodo as it swung down. The troll gazed stupidly at the blond, then it's club, then gave a throaty growl before raising it high and swinging it down. Cloud grabbed the unconscious Aragorn and threw him out of the way as the club came crashing down and inwardly chuckled as the man awoke just in time to cry out in shock upon finding himself sailing through the air to be caught by Gandalf as he fell. The troll growled at him and swung it's club again, only instead of dodging it this time Cloud intercepted the massive weapon with a once again fully assembled First Tsurugi, cutting the chunk of wood in half. The troll stared at it's club for a moment, then roared and dropped it in favor of picking up a large spear. Cloud cursed as he was forced to dodge or risk being impaled and ducked under a sword from an Orc at the same time.

As he avoided another jab from the massive spear an Orc decided to be brave and launched itself at his leg, latching onto it and digging sharp teeth through his pants and into his skin. He yelped at the unexpected pain and tried to shake the blasted thing off, but before he could regain his balance the trolls spear swung into his side, throwing him across the room with the Orc still attached to his leg. He impacted the opposite wall with a loud crack and the air was fOrced from his lungs as he fell to the ground with a groan.

"Cloud!" Called Merry and Pippin as they tried to hack their way through the Orcs with Gandalf to get to him. Cloud groaned from the floor, then heaved himself up onto his knees with a wince. He rolled his shoulder, the one that had impacted the wall and, almost as a second thought grabbed the dazed Orc from his leg and hurled it across the room. He pulled himself up with a mild groan and gripped his side, where the flat of the spear had hit him. He knew it was more then likely purple by now, and if he didn't have any broken ribs he'd eat his boot.

He sidestepped a flailing Orc as it charged him and looked around for Tsurugi. He scanned the body littered floor, kicking, punching and throwing any Orcs who thought to attack him while he was unarmed. As he looked around for his sword Cloud suddenly realized that the troll had given up on him and had gone after Frodo, cornering him behind a pillar by the far wall with it's spear. He growled and looked around for his lost sword, finally spotting it a few feet from where he had been hit. He darted across the room, jumping over or simply knocking over any Orcs that got in his way. He jumped over a final Orc and rolled along the ground, grabbing up Tsurugi as he came up into a crouch just in time to avoid another Orc, which was kicked in the face and sent across the room.

Just then a sort of pause floated across the room and he turned his gaze to it's source, eyes widening as they landed on Frodo with the trolls spear lodged in his stomach. Suddenly Merry and Pippin cried out and ran at the troll, attaching themselves to it's back, stabbing and slashing at it with their small swords. Legolas fired arrow after arrow at the beast, luring it away from the downed Hobbit. Cloud snarled and separated Tsurugi again as he kicked into a run, charging the troll head on.

Aragorn, upon spotting him charging the creature grabbed Merry and Pippin from it's back and threw them out of the way just as the furious blond jumped, brandishing his blades as he landed on it's shoulder, where he drew back one blade, then viciously lodged it into the side of the massive trolls neck. It howled in agony as it stumbled back, trying to dislodge Cloud and his sword even as he drew back the second blade and thrust it downward with both hands.

The troll went silent as the blade pierced the top of it's head, burying all the way to it's chest through it's skull. Without so much as a twitch the creature went down, falling flat into the ground and crushing several Orcs under it in the process. The number of Orcs had dwindled and the Fellowship used the opportunity to rush over to the fallen Frodo. Cloud yanked his weapons from the dead trolls body with disgust, spitting on the ground by it's head as he turned to make his way to the others. Before he made it though an incredulous voice suddenly shouted out.

"He's alive!" Cloud blinked and jumped up onto the ledge where the Hobbit had been speared, leaning over Aragorn's shoulder to see that yes, indeed the Ring Bearer was alive.

"I'm alright, I'm not hurt." muttered the Hobbit as he winced and sat up. Aragorn stared at him in astonishment.

"You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar." He said. Gandalf leaned on his staff.

"I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye." he said, relief and odd amusement in his blue eyes. Frodo parted his shirt where the spear had hit him and everyone gasped at the sight of the silver and gold shirt underneath.

"Mithril! You are full of surprises Master Baggins!" Exclaimed Gimli. Cloud glanced out of the corner of his eye towards the doorway as the faint sound of more Orcs reaching his keen hearing.

"I'd hate to rain on this parade, but we have to go." He said as he shouldered Tsurugi, which was once again whole. Gandalf nodded and lead the way to the door.

"To the Bridge of Khazad-dum!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story is currently on Hiatus, the plot bunny escaped the coop :/ Not abandoned, just on hold. Sorry!


End file.
